New boy need some help!

[manchesterman]

Hi,
I'm from the UK and have just found this great site. I am really getting into Asian movies (although not really the Kung-Fu ones).

I am always on the lookout for good films of the style of The Story of Kiuju, Postmen in the Mountains, Not One Less and The Road Home.

Some might say that my taste is a bit too sentimental but I make no apologies for liking films that tell good tales without having to resort to bloody mayhem. Although I do also enjoy well-made thrillers such as Old Boy.

So, I would be very appreciative, if there are any of you able to give me recommendations of such films (preferablyavailable on DVD with English subtitles!).

Also, I am particularly looking for "Beiqi baba shangxue" Carrying My Dad to School on My Back. Does anyone know if I can get this on DVD?

Thanks for your help.

[Brian Thibodeau]

If you hadn't have mentioned them, I was going to suggest THE ROAD HOME and NOT ONE LESS.

Since you mention a Korean film in your titles, I would strongly recommend THE WAY HOME, about a bratty city boy left with his mute grandmother in the country while his mom looks for a new job after a divorce. Not as weepy as you might expect, considering the potential for cliches inherent in any film about moppets and old people.

Also from Korea, I'd recommend MEMORIES OF MURDER, a well-paced tale of the ill-formed hunt for Korea's first serial killer, A TALE OF TWO SISTERS, an absolutely brilliant psychological thriller that packs a couple of nice twists, and SINGLES, an enormously successful and rarely-reviewed comedy drama that takes a forthright look at a segment of Korea's young population: single people who break with musty Korean tradition and dare to be happy AND unmarried after the age of 30.

I'm also hearing EXTREMELY good things about this year's current Korean box-office champ MARATHON, about an autistic boy who becomes a celebrated runner, though I haven't seen it yet.

From Japan, I'd recommend the film QUILL, the life story of a seeing-eye dog told in a simple, straightforward manner while still managing to tug a few heartstrings.

I'm not well-versed in the cinema of mainland China, but there are many great sentimental movies from Hong Kong, though your tolerance may vary. Here are some of my personal favourites, both comedies and dramas, although researching reviews here and abroad might be advisable:

METADE FUMACA - Eric Tsang, Nicolas Tse
CITY OF GLASS - Leon Lai Ming, Shu Qi
GOLDEN CHICKEN 1 - Sandra Ng
GOLDEN CHICKEN 2 - Sandra Ng
LOST AND FOUND - Takeshi Kaneshiro, Kelly Chan
LAVENDER - Takeshi Kaneshiro, Kelly Chan (again!)
GIMME GIMME - Yorky Yuen, Chiu Tien-you
TEMPTING HEART - Gigi Leung, Karen Mok, Sylvia Chang

The muscular noir thrillers from producer/director Johnnie To are also worth a look, particularly if you enjoyed OLDBOY. These films do contain their fair share of gritty violence and sentiment, but generally shy away from the fanciful gunplay and martial arts of more conventional Hong Kong movies. Look up:

A HERO NEVER DIES
THE MISSION
THE LONGEST NITE
PTU
FULLTIME KILLER
RUNNING ON KARMA
WHERE A GOOD MAN GOES
EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED
BEYOND HYPOTHERMIA
and
RUNNING ON KARMA

I could go on for hours...

[manchesterman]

Thanks Brian, That's very helpful.
I'll start working my way through your list!